Chapter 5: Hierarchy of Monsters

Hours had passed since I entered this so-called Goblin’s Slaughterhouse. I kept throwing dead bodies into the carnivorous plant, finishing a couple of quests left and right. Right now, I have reached level 2.

Goblin Nick

Species

Goblin Spawn

Level

2

Health

20/20

Mana

5/5

Strength

1

Agility

3

Vitality

1

Intelligence

1

Dexterity

3

Luck

3

Experience Points

60/459

Unallocated Points

5

Skills

Identify

Level 1

A skill that grants the user the ability to appraise things. Rate of Failure depends upon the item or creature being appraised and level of the skill.

Mana Cost: 1

Scurry

Level 1

Increase movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds.

Mana Cost: 2

Reaching this level seemed so easy, considering the fact that it had only been a few hours since I turned into a Goblin, but now, I realized that it would become grueling hard to reach the upper levels. The experience required now had become three times before. If this was an Online RPG, this would probably be classified among those that are “hard to level up.”

I have 5 unallocated points. I decided to put 3 into Strength and 2 into agility.

I’ve observed those that were around me. As I’ve thought, it seemed that I was the only one that leveled up. Maybe these guys were not aware of the game-like mechanics, or maybe such thing simply did not exist among them. I prayed that it was the latter.

By now, the piles of corpses were almost depleted. The production of Meat Fruit had halted in some areas. I did not know if this was the effect of being a goblin, but I could now somehow withstand the scenario of humans being fed into the carnivorous plants. Of course, I would never do it if they were alive, but a corpse was a different matter entirely.

I was afraid that I was slowly losing my humanity. If this went on, then I may become a monster entirely. I did not want that to happen.

I shook my small head, and my long ears flapped in the process.

The Goblin Leader has issued his orders!

The quest “Mine and Mine all Mine!” is now available!

Do you wish to proceed?

Reward:

100 Exp

I frowned upon seeing the reward experience. Surely, it was a bit higher than my previous quests, but it was still quite low when compared to the required Exp to level up.

Yes

No

“Yes,” I mumbled.

A harp-like music rang inside my head, and a window popped up.

For generations, Cursed Rubies has been the special product of the Goblins. They are stones formed after a soul amalgamates with miasma.

Mine ten Cursed Rubies and present it to the Goblin Leader.

Inside my head, an indicator which pointed out the location of the mine appeared. I followed it, climbing steep stones until I reached a small tunnel. Outside, there were already some Goblin Spawns in wait. They were grabbing some pickaxes near the entrance. I immediately joined the group and grabbed my own tool.

Even from my current spot, I could hear the echoes of pickaxes hitting against stones and rocks.

I went inside. It was dark, but with the eyes of a goblin, it was easy to see everything.

As time went by, my view of these Goblins was changing. This place was just like the ones used by humans, probably a bit better. These Goblins were not as uncivilized and as stupid as I originally thought.

“They even have pickaxes,” I said, smiling wryly.

I breathed in a gust of stale air, then began hitting the tunnel walls. I did not know what a cursed ruby looked like, and where I was supposed to find it. But still, I simply imitated my fellow goblins. Judging by their actions, hitting the walls should be enough to do the trick.

An hour passed by and I had yet to see any result. Even those that were around me failed to mine even a single cursed ruby.

My stomach started to grumble. I was hungry. And for some reason, I drooled after remembering the piles of corpses from before.

I shivered when I realized that I was somehow lusting for human flesh. That I somehow wanted to have a bite off those corpses.

I gnashed my teeth and forced myself to focus on what was in front of me. If eating human flesh would satiate my hunger, then I would rather die here. Eating another human was out of the question.

I kept hitting my pickaxe against the wall, creating cracks, sending stones flying about.

By now, the grumbling sound in my stomach escalated. I cringed from the pain of hunger. Drool started dripping down my mouth. If there was a mirror here, I would have seen a blood red, bulging eyes.

My hunger started unshackling the monster within me. I could feel my humanity slowly slipping away.

With what was left of my sanity, I tottered deeper inside the tunnels, to a place far away from the piles of corpses outside.

Just eat them. They’re dead anyway.

A voice within me whispered.

“Shut up!” I snarled, my voice echoing inside the tunnel.

A goblin nearby stared at me in shock, before it continued striking the walls with its pickaxe.

I pulled my ears and groaned. Silvery threads continued dripping down my mouth.

You’re hungry. Don’t you want to taste some human flesh?

Once again, the monster within me spoke. This time, its voice sounded so tempting that I almost dashed out the tunnel and towards the pile of corpses outside.

“Stop. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!”

I banged my head against the walls, I felt lightheaded for a moment, and blood dripped down my forehead.

My HP probably dwindled down a bit after that impact, but at the very least, it temporarily made the voice within me vanish.

I looked around and stared at the goblin near me. This place was deep within the tunnels and currently, there were only the two of us here.

I tottered towards it, my eyes red and bulging.

Without warning, I struck its body using my pickaxe. It yelped as blood spurted out. I licked my lips then raised my pickaxe then struck again, and again, and again, until the pesky little bastard stopped moving.

You have gained 3 Experience Points!

I dismissed the status window. I crouched down, and using my long nails, started ripping off a portion of the goblin’s flesh.

I was so famished that without a moment of hesitation, I bit off the flesh and chewed.

Disgusting. Tasted like rotten tomatoes – a bit worse than that.

Still, I continued to bite and chew. I continued to devour. Luckily, we were deep within the tunnels, and there were only the two us here.

After a few more minutes of frenzied eating, my sanity eventually came back to me. I stood there, staring at the aftermath of my rampage.

I knew I had become a monster.

You have earned a Title!

Cannibal

A title given to those that have eaten their own kind.

+ 2 to all stats

You have learned a new skill!

Frenzied Rage

Consumes half of the user’s remaining HP in exchange of bonus stats for 30 seconds.

+ 60% Increased Movement Speed

+ 75% Increased Attack Speed

+ 30% Increased Attack Damage

The bonuses I gained just from eating a fellow goblin was absurd. Especially, the new skill. It would without doubt become useful later on.

“For now, what should I do with this corpse?” I said as I stared at what remained of the goblin before me. If I had not known better, I would have thought that a savage monster was here and ate the corpse. It was beyond recognition.

I grabbed my pickaxe then started digging through the ground. After an arduous few minutes, I kicked the corpse into what I dug, then covered it with rocks.

I had no idea of the law of these monsters, but just to be safe, I decided to hide the corpse for now.

Now that I thought of it, I did gain some exp after killing that Goblin Spawn, right? The amount was negligent, but if I carefully analyzed the situation, there were thousands of goblins inside this cavern. And each of them was potential Exp. I licked my lips at the thought.

For now, I kept on mining. My goal was to gather 10 cursed rubies and get that bonus 100 Exp from the quest.

Leveling was indeed hard. It was grueling, but I decided to become strong within the shortest amount of time possible. Every moment wasted here could mean the death of my family in the Human World. I needed to evolve fast.

An hour passed, and I finally found my first Cursed Ruby. A stone the size of a pebble. Just like its name, it was crimson in color. Inside, a twirling mass of gray floated.

“Identify!”

Identification failed.

I tried again after that, but it once again resulted in a failure. On my last attempt, just right before my mana had ran out, an information window finally popped out.

Cursed Ruby

A Stone made out of Melarchacolm.

Legend says that the souls of the deceased are trapped inside.

Once consumed it will immediately restore 200 Mana.

What the hell. This was a mana stone. There was no doubt about it. And judging by the fact that a level 2 monster like me have only 5 Mana, it was easily to conclude that this was a high-grade mana restoring medicine.

It felt like a waste to simply give this to the Goblin Leader in exchange for a meagre amount of 100 Exp. Furthermore, it took me many hours just to find a single one. But it was not like I have a choice right now.

I continued hacking away at the walls, my mind focused on trying to find as many Cursed Rubies as I could.

“Jackpot,” I whistled.

Not an hour had passed since my first ruby and I was able to find another one. Moreover, there were three of them clustered next to each other.

Maybe, I was mining the stones at the wrong place before? Why did I not think of that? Maybe these stones were more abundant in the deeper parts of the tunnel, the place I was currently at.

I licked my lips as this thought crossed my mind. With newfound strength, I kept on mining. Little time had passed and I was able to confirm my theory. I had once again found a ruby.

Becoming hungry had become a blessing in disguise. In my attempt to keep distance myself from the human corpses outside, I went very deep into these tunnels.

You have acquired a Cursed Ruby!

You have acquired a Cursed Ruby!

You have acquired a Cursed Ruby!

I dropped my pickaxe and counted the rubies in my small hands. There were exactly ten of them.

“I’ll be needing a bag soon,” I mumbled. I realized that these Goblins were simply naked, without clothes nor items to store materials in.

I remembered the human corpses outside this tunnel. They were wearing clothes. I could probably create a bag using those.

After I once again made sure I have the right amount, I went outside the tunnels and approached the Goblin Leader. It was a creature thrice my size, probably as big as a short human.

The Goblin Leader stared at the Cursed Rubies I handed him. He snorted then nodded. “Good work.”

The quest “Mine and Mine all Mine!” has been completed!

You have gained 100 Exp!

“You’re the first to complete ten rubies,” said the Goblin Leader. It was amazing how fluent his language was. “Just in time. The Goblin Chieftain has been waiting for this. Come with me.”

The Goblin Leader has taken a liking on you!

The quest, “Meet the Goblin Chieftain,” is now available!

Do you wish to proceed?

Reward: Unknown

I stiffened when the quest window popped up. The Goblin Leader must have noticed it as he continued staring at me, waiting for my response.

Unknown reward? I was curious.

“What are you waiting for?” snarled the Goblin Leader. “Come!”

A chill crawled down my skin as I met his ferocious glare.

“Y-Yes!”

Without another word, the Goblin Leader started heading towards the cavern’s exit. Behind him, a dozen or so Goblin Spawns and Workers followed. I noticed that some of them were carrying Meat Fruits in their hands. That thing would have been an enticing sight if I had not known that it was made of human flesh.

The Goblin Warriors guarding the exit made a staunch salute upon seeing the Goblin Leader.

We passed through the exit, and we once again found ourselves outside. The same rocky mountain range spread out in all directions. Beyond, the barren plains covered everything the eyes could see.

But this time was a bit different.

Currently, not far from us, a monster resembling a centipede silently stood. On its back was a small wooden house which reminded me of a cabin. The size of the monster was colossal, probably long enough to fit three dozen goblins in, with room to spare afterwards.

Millennium Centipede

Lv 20

My jaw dropped upon seeing the box hovering atop the monster’s head. This creature was actually a high-level monster, and we’re supposed to simply use it as a mount?

The Goblin Leader instructed his men to place the Meat Fruits inside the wooden cabin. He hopped onto the head of the Centipede then grabbed the reigns. The rest of the goblins started climbing the back of the monster one after another.

Hey, hey? Was it really safe to mount this thing?

I was still worried about the absurd level of this colossal monster. I breathed in, then started climbing its back too. The scales were hard and smooth. My intuition was screaming at me that mere guns would probably not work against this creature.

I just hoped that there were no other monsters like this one, and that none of them invades the Human Realm.

After all the goblins were onboard, the Millennium Centipede started moving. Its hundreds of legs struck the ground, sending dusts flying about.

In just a few minutes, the cavern was out of sight. We shot through the barren plains in an absurd speed, the wind violently brushing against our faces. There were a few instances wherein I almost fell down the colossal monster due to its speed.

After passing through the barren plains, we soon found ourselves in the middle of a desert. The sun above was scorching, and I felt my skin molt from the heat. At this rate, I was going to die of dehydration. I could see my fellow goblins become weak and withered too. The only exemption was the Goblin Leader at the very front.

“We’re here,” said the Goblin Leader.

We entered an oasis. The scene was jaw dropping, and I could not help but gawk at the sight.

Large pyramids. Stone statues of a monster. A large lake at the center of a small city. Numerous stone houses that would remind one of ancient Egypt.

But the most stunning fact was the residents of this place. I could see a different species of monster here. Everywhere I looked, creatures far more terrifying than goblins were scattered about.

A monster with the head of a dog and body of a man approached our group. On its waist was a scimitar.

Anubis Warrior

Lv 35

“Lord Osiris is waiting inside,” said the Anubis Warrior. “Your Goblin Chieftain is with him.” He looked at the direction of the wooden cabin. “I trust that you’ve brought the goods with you?”

“Yes, Lord Warrior,” submissively said the Goblin Leader. I noticed that the Goblin Leader was trembling. Well, I could not blame him.

So those Meat Fruits were meant for these monsters, huh? This was an unexpectedly good piece of information.

The Anubis Warrior told the Goblin Leader to dismount the goods then follow him.

Since I was tasked to carry the Cursed Rubies, I had no choice but to follow after them. It was actually scary, since I knew that everyone around me were capable of killing this frail body. This place was swarming with monsters with levels more than thrice that of the Goblin Leader.

We passed through the innumerable statues, then entered a pyramid.

Surprisingly, it was cool inside this place. I momentarily stopped in my tracks when I saw familiar monsters.

Minos

Lv 15

“Minotaurs,” I whispered the name of the monsters.

There was almost a dozen of them. Currently, they were carrying stones from one place to another. Supervising them was an Anubis Warrior holding a giant whip. It would strike the backs of the cow-like monsters every now and then, ordering them to move and work faster.

I trembled when I realized that even those fearsome Minotaurs were merely slaves to these Anubis.

And right now, we’re going to deliver these goods to the Boss of this place.